ANSI Z535.3 American National Standard for Criteria for Safety Symbols is one of six individual standards that make up ANSI Z535.

Symbols are important elements in the design of safety signs. These symbols help convey messages across language barriers, bring additional explanation to safety messages, and decrease comprehension time for faster hazard communication.

Although the addition of symbols to a safety sign or label helps increase understanding and it is often a best practice to include on a sign, ANSI Z535.3 safety symbols are optional elements of signage.

ANSI Z535.3 safety symbols are classified into four types: hazard alerting, mandatory action, prohibition, and information. For more information about these classifications and examples of each, visit our ANSI Z535 Safety Symbols page.

With the ability to quickly provide important safety information across different languages, reading comprehension levels, and learning backgrounds, effective symbols are consistent in their design. This consistency often creates a familiarity with the images, making it easier to notice differences, such as the addition of a hard hat or other feature that is important to the potentially hazardous situation.

This consistency is an important element in the design of ANSI Z535.3 symbols. The standard covers the benefits of consistency and guidelines for the effective design of symbols for consistency across use cases. Annexes to the standard also provide guidance on how to choose a symbol when designing a safety sign.

What are ANSI standards?

ANSI is an independent organization that oversees standards for numerous industries. These standards help create uniformity for products, processes, and ways to share information, such as accident prevention information. Learn more...

What is the ANSI format for safety signs?

ANSI safety sign formats are based on the ANSI Z535-2011 standard. This standard has three important elements, including a safety header, images, and the sign legend. Learn more...

What are ANSI color codes?

ANSI color codes are described in the ANSI Z535.1-2001 standard for the identification of potential hazards and safety equipment. Each color or combination of colors has its own use case. Learn more...

Do I need OSHA or ANSI safety signs?

The goals of OSHA and ANSI designed signs are the same: to alert workers of potential hazards and of workplace polices. There are many factors that should be considered before choosing one design or the other, and in many cases, an ANSI formatted sign will comply with OSHA standards. Learn more...

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